The invention relates to a system comprising a separator and tying device which is useful on floral bouquets to enhance their appearance and to aid in their shipment and display. The invention also relates to a method that incorporates the use of the disclosed separator and tying device, and which enhances the visual appearance of pre-manufactured floral bouquets by making the bouquets fuller, larger and more visually appealing.
The fresh floral bouquet manufacturers have been criticized for the looks of the pre-manufactured floral bouquets sold at the retail level in the mass market. Bouquets usually look as if they have been squeezed together at the heads and show no signs of any design criteria. Currently, the desired procedure of floral bouquet distribution is to have the bouquets manufactured at the growers level (e.g., in South America). In order to maximize the number of bouquets in a shipping carton, the bouquets are packed very tightly and arrive at the store looking crushed and compacted.
One attempt to overcome this problem is to pack the bouquets in a water-packed system, instead of packing them dry. When bouquets are shipped in water, they have a tendency to begin the process of opening or developing to their full size, which in some cases overcomes the crushed, compacted look. This shipping method, however, is not desirable when the distribution chain is long because the longer the flowers are in water, the less total time the retailer will have to display the bouquets and the consumer will have for the use of the product. Furthermore, the water-packed shipping method increases the chance that disease or fungi will develop in the flowers.
The present invention overcomes the crushed, compacted look of bouquets packed in accordance with the prior art, and avoids the loss of usage time associated with water-packed bouquets. The invention accomplishes this by packing the bouquets in a dry state but in a manner (and using a system) which make the bouquets appear larger and more voluminous.